The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-07-03
THE BIG DITCH IN PANAMA.
FERDINAND DE LEsSEPS WIFE nor
LIVE TO FINISH II. tiM
De Says q Chicago Man who Has Worked %
the Canal-It win Take Tea Years -
Flnlsh It-Amcricnn EnorrY NEEDED.


the canai-h win Take Tea Years -
Finish lt-Americnn Energy Needed.
From the Chicago Tribune
w. j. Gillespie, native o Chicago who for
| the last two years has worked in q responsible
| position on the Panama Canal. got here from
Panama yesterday, and Is at present the guest
| Of Moses Hooke. Two years ago he got place
with the American Contracting and Dredging
Company of New York as Captain Of one OF its
%hsE he ~ gave 'a oo only ny FEW Jays sso fSis
position he had command Of fifty men. and he'd
t. Up nS Of WIZ S
man ma " speaks spanish and French, and seems
rastns p S asspo II has not The ies S9" Of
There arc, from 10000 TO $4,000 men alto:
s e. ws sn hs :a Il s saa
pany does not soon get another loan nr the w2 Sa
been expanded, and Il is not half finished AK
nearly ea Ths raised al sGS
unable to borrow any money since. The men
in teo direGt empl1y OF the cor are being
ss a' Il Is veil
the prospects are bad for another loan. :.
sst Il hs a H9s SSso one
the canal that have been excnvated have been
the rivers, so that much Of the work has to 30
done twice. Immense quantities Of useless
M % ALONG nfa s II y ssn
hss eSsp Sh ha ID 9p made p ss t Is that
direction and such. general slipshod, way q,
th tho moSe sn they the wanted don't believe they
gould have the canal finished for ten years yet.
tho time was EXTENDED to 1885, but with this
snme French eompany at the head Of 1t It will
it into the hands Of q few American CONTRACT
tors. II this had beer, done at the beginning
mSn S Already Expended II the ccmpanS
would let the contracts not for eNcavating 90
metres, but for completing 30 many miles Of
canal. then the work. would be done. ~.
there T. only
Is the American Contracting and, Dredging
Company The firm firm has ,t seven drsdges at
has been st work i've years. and has e1oayatsd
The whole length Of the, canal across the Isth-
mus will be forty,six miles. 1t will be twenty
sa sh f a sd s S Es S op A a S 0 ssSsR
teen miles that We have been worEine the
Chagres River crosses the canal IN seven
Is running eight knots an hour: The river
washes down the mountains and is constantly
WheTs 's s tho u fU DEPTH 81
eight feet are now only ton or twelve feet deep
eann sa ss" n WITH IS
SsaRs So dop gbs h
mel north Of the line OF the sea Canal " course
aitorward. Now they arc talking Of building
hoadwaters Of the rivera dam that viii be
made by building great wall from one noun
rsa TO Sod be
sehSP R; but If So why did they not build the
The line Of the canal Is divided into eleven
sections and some work is being done on every
named Jacobie is doing good deal Of work.
ant at e o efd 3, the on has 70 20
three and q half miles and Is filling up nearly
as last as they are IRE, cutting It, The dS at this
stopped for while there viii soon Be no trace
does not care he is merely. paid for eIoavating
80 many cubic metres ;s and the cut may ILL a.
'9iffh a. re smp nery of tho aborsrs are no.
are paid 81 a day in sogth American silver:
american q gold. There are good many ioSai
GGatiyes employed also. but they can speak only
ish foremen. Physically they arc very poor
they average up Just about like Chinese and
have the Same general appearance. There 10 9
" among the negroes. The chief drink 10 Ja-
maica rum. One has to drink Q good deal there
trying, and has been especially severe on tho
French laborers who were brought ont BY ths
very few Americans thereN altogether probably
100 to 200 whites. and about 800 negroes re-
Gently brought from New Orleans." go
even probable, that tho whole project Will be
allowed to drop SO far as the present genera
ton is concerned. He thinks that II the Nioa-
rague Canal project Is fairly started and put In
the hands OF enterprising American oontrae.
before Thorn and knowing what to do and whes
to buy, they will be able to complete the new
canal easily within five years, or before the
Panama Canal can be three quarters nnished,
This would kill the business completely. 4